ICTP announces Hainan as new destination member

HALEIWA, Hawaii, USA & BRUSSELS, Belgium – The International Council of Tourism Partners (ICTP) announced the Hainan Provincial Tourism Development Committee as a destination member.

Hainan is China’s second largest island. In December 2009, the State Council marked international tourism on Hainan island as a national strategy, and the Hainan International Tourism Island Development Plan was formed.

Increasingly tourism has developed rapidly and the Hainan Provincial Tourism Development Committee has constantly been improving tourism services and facilities, tourist reception capacity, and a number of resort areas and scenic spots. Currently, there are more than 400 tourist hotels on the island.

“It is clear that China is positioning to be a world leader of sustainable development and particularly of renewable energy: it is already a world tourism leader with Hainan as a leading edge destination. This combination of rapid growth and deepening sustainability will require enormous shifts at an operational level, and ICTP looks forward to helping in that evolution,” said Geoffrey Lipman, President of ICTP.

Chairman of ICTP, Juergen T. Steinmetz said: “The goal of the Hainan Provincial Tourism Development Committee is to build Hainan into a world-class island leisure tourism destination, while keeping its ecological environment beautiful and maintaining its unique cultural charm. This fits right in with ICTP’s mission for quality green growth.”

By 2015, Hainan wants to enhance the scale of the tourism industry, as well as its quality and efficiency, to further enhance the role of tourism in boosting economic growth for the island. According to the strategic positioning of international tourism in Hainan Island, the overall consideration is to be mindful of environmental capacity, resource capacity, and to follow the laws of nature of the international tourism island, including strengthening the planning and control of the major tourist attractions and resort areas in coastal areas.

For more information about the Hainan Provincial Tourism Development Committee, visit: http://tourism.hainan.gov.cn/goverment/index.html .

ABOUT ICTP

The International Council of Tourism Partners (ICTP) is a new grassroots travel and tourism coalition of global destinations committed to quality service and green growth. The ICTP logo represents the strength in collaboration (the block) of many small communities (the lines) committed to sustainable oceans (blue) and land (green).

ICTP engages communities and their stakeholders to share quality and green opportunities including tools and resources, access to funding, education, and marketing support. ICTP advocates sustainable aviation growth, streamlined travel formalities, and fair coherent taxation.

ICTP supports the UN Millennium Development Goals, the UN World Tourism Organization’s Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, and a range of programs that underpin them. The ICTP alliance is represented in Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA; Brussels, Belgium; Bali, Indonesia; and Victoria, Seychelles. ICTP membership is available to qualified destinations free of charge. Academy membership features a prestigious and selected group of destinations.

ICTP has members in Anguilla; Aruba; Bangladesh; Belgium, Canada; China; Croatia; Ghana; Greece; Grenada; The Gambia, India; Indonesia; Iran; La Reunion (French Indian Ocean); Malaysia; Malawi; Mauritius; Mexico; Morocco; Nicaragua; Nigeria; Northern Mariana Islands, US Pacific Island Territory; Pakistan; Palestine; Rwanda; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; South Africa; Sri Lanka; Sultanate of Oman; Tajikistan; Tanzania; Yemen; Zimbabwe; and from the US: Arizona, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Missouri, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.

Partner associations include: African Bureau of Conventions; African Chamber of Commerce Dallas/Fort Worth; Africa Travel Association; Alliance for training and research in the field of social and solidarity tourism (ISTO/OITS); Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association; Cultural and Environment Conservation Society; DC-Cam (Cambodia); Hawaii Tourism Association; Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management; International Hospitality and Tourism Research Centre(IHTRC); International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT); International Organization of Electronic Tourism Industry (IOETI); Livingstone International University of Tourism Excellence, Zambia; Positive Impact Events, Manchester, UK; RETOSA : Angola- Botswana – DR Congo – Lesotho – Madagascar – Malawi – Mauritius – Mozambique – Namibia – South Africa – Swaziland – Tanzania – Zambia- Zimbabwe; Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade, China; SKAL International; Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH); Sustainable Travel International (STI); The Region Initiative, Pakistan; University of Florida: Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute; University of Hawaii; University of Technology Mauritius; and vzw Reis-en Opleidingscentrum, Gent, Belgium; and University of Technology Mauritius.

For more information, go to: www.tourismpartners.org .